Woman's Hour - 02/09/2009

With Jenni Murray. Including: There can be few acts whose music evokes memories of the 1980s better than Bananarama. Along with scrunchies, shoulder pads and of course perms, their music epitomised the pop culture of the decade. In 1988 they entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the all-female group to have the most chart entries in history. After a four year break they are back with a new single and album, and they reflect with Jenni on a career spanning 27 years. The policing of 2009's Climate Camp has been markedly different from past events at Kingsnorth Power Station, Heathrow and G20, where the death of Ian Tomlinson brought much criticism of the Metropolitan Police's heavy-handed approach. So how significant is it that this year's Climate Camp is being overseen by a female police commander? Jenni is joined by Brian Paddick, former Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, and by Prof Frances Heidensohn, Visiting Professor in the Sociology Department at the London School of Economics, to discuss women policing and mass demonstrations. Sadie Jones was nominated for the Orange Prize for her first novel, which was feted by Richard and Judy and has even been spied on David Cameron's bookshelf. In her latest offering, Small Wars, she shows a continuing fascination with the buttoned-up emotions of Brits after WWII. She talks to Jenni about why she chose to set the novel in 1950s Cyprus, the impact of army life on marriage, and why she is so intrigued by what people leave unsaid, both in public and in private. Heels may look suitable on the catwalk, but should women have to wear them at work? The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists is concerned about the number of companies insisting that female staff wear high heels as part of their dress code. It is putting forward a motion at the TUC conference calling on companies to drop this requirement. Lorraine Jones of the Society of the Chiropodists and Podiatrists, journalist Hannah Betts and style consultant Ceril Campbell explore the politics of high heels in the workplace.